Author Archives: jennya

Cofadeh to challenge constitutionality of decree granting police powers to the military

The General Coordinator of the Committee of the Families of the Detained and Disappeared in Honduras (Cofadeh), Bertha Oliva revealed to defensoresenlinea.com that the decision taken by the National Congress to grant police powers to the military is an illegal, unconstitutional decision that opens the door for members of the Armed Forces to openly commit all types of human rights violations. 

Improvements in Social and Economic Well-Being and the Nov. 6 Elections

Daniel McCurdy, Nov. 14, 2011 Last Sunday, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega was re-elected by a large margin. His party, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), won an unprecedented majority in the National Assembly.  The major media, which are generally hostile to Ortega (and to most of the left governments in Latin America), mostly missed the main economic changes that might explain this result.  These include a significant reduction in poverty and inequality and a considerable increase in access to health care and education.

Gringo Bases in Honduras Again

COFADEH Nov. 11, 2011  The first executive order issued by Porfirio Lobo in January 2010 after assuming the presidency following the coup d’état was the authorization of another Gringo military base in Caratasca and an extension in the small island of Guanaja. The bases – sea, land, and air – join with Palmerola, in the heart of the Comayagua valley, which dates back to the 1980s. In addition to these US military enclaves on the Atlantic coast and in Comayagua there are also U.S.

Election Results Released

On Monday afternoon, the Nicaraguan Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) released its third report of results from Sunday’s presidential election. CSE President Roberto Rivas said that, with 85.8% of precincts reporting, the Sandinista Party (FSLN) and its candidate President Daniel Ortega had won with 62.65% of the votes, followed by the Independent Liberal Party (PLI) Alliance with 30.96%, and the Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC) with 6.02%. Rivas said that voter turnout had been between 75% and 80%.